Wastewater Collection and Pretreatment

This is the water that flows down the drain from the sinks, showers, tubs, toilets, and clothes washer in your home or from commercial establishments.

The problem lies when wastewater is contaminated by pollutants that can create obstacles for the treatment technologies and collection system.

In order to combat pollution Cranberry Township's Industrial Pretreatment program proactively protects the wastewater through educational outreach, wastewater treatment requirements, and discharge permits.

Our goals are to:

Prevent the introduction of pollutants that will interfere with the operation of the Brush Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant

Meet the needs of our National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit in order to prevent the pass-through of pollutants to protect the Brush Creek and its downstream waterways.

Improve opportunities to recycle and reclaim sludge

Protect the health and safety of the public as well as Cranberry Township wastewater treatment employees.

Cranberry Township is not currently federally mandated by U.S. EPA to have a wastewater pretreatment program - however, we have opted to go beyond using basic general prohibitions in order to maintain and protect our sewer collection system, Brush Creek Wastewater treatment plant, and the environment.

Chapter 19 of our municipal code specifies criteria through which certain industries are asked to complete wastewater surveys to evaluate their processes and to determine if they have the potential to negatively impact our collection and treatment system. A Discharge Permit is issued to any Industrial user that meets the significant industrial user criteria or that falls under our Fat, Oil, and Grease program specifications. The permit contains limitations on pollutant discharge as well as requirements on when, where, how, and how often the industry must monitor its discharge to show compliance with the limits.

To meet the limits, industries must often “pre-treat” their wastewater prior to discharge into the collection system. That is where the name “Pretreatment Program” comes from.

The Township oversees industrial users by performing inspections, wastewater collection and analysis, and by working with industries to improve their pretreatment techniques.

In addition to monitoring significant industrial users, the control of Fats, Oils, and Grease (F.O.G.) as well as Inflow and Infiltration (I & I) are major undertakings of the Pretreatment Department.